Landlord still hasn’t repaired pensioner’s door three months after it was accidentally bashed in

A pensioner has said she been left ‘fearing for her safety’ after her landlord did not replace her front door months after it was broken down.

Former dancer Alexandra Cook, 90, had gone for a holiday down to the south coast from her sheltered housing in Vauxhall in April. 

But when she returned a few days later she found her door had been bashed in, leaving her fearful that she had been burgled.

Concerned about what had happened, she was told a fellow resident raised the alarm over her safety after reporting that she had not seen Mrs Cook for some days. 

Firefighters attended and her door was battered in over fears she had come to harm. 

She spoke to the L&Q housing association, who she rents her flat from, and they explained what had happened.

She said they pledged to replace the door and repair serious damage to the brickwork next to the door frame, which was caused by the forced entry. 

Three months later, nothing has been done, leaving Ms Cook ‘frustrated and angry’. 

Ms Cook, who has lived in the flat in Sancroft Street for 30 years, said she was ‘appalled’ at how she had been treated and that she felt unsafe in her home. 

She told Metro: ‘I went on holiday and one of the other residents hadn’t seen me for a while and so reported it to the housing people so they got the emergency services to force entry to the flat. 

‘I know it was done because people were worried about me but it was a bit extreme. When I returned I could not believe the mess. I went to put the key in the door and my heart dropped it was just such a shock. I thought I had been robbed.

‘I went in and saw nothing had been taken but there was just the sense of violation that someone had been in my home. At my age this type of thing had a big impact on life, I’m appalled.’

The pensioner, who was raised in Streatham and travelled the world as a dancer, told Metro: ‘This is a broken promise. I am 90 and am not well at all and do not feel that the door is secure. There’s also dust coming off the brickwork which has not been repaired leaving me with difficulty breathing especially in the boiling temperatures. It’s just not good enough – they are treating me poorly and I feel let down.

‘They keep on saying they are waiting for parts, this and that and they are taking it seriously, but it just seems like empty promises. My doctor is worried about me and the impact on my health. I’ve been treated shoddily  L&Q I think I’m frustrated and angry. I don’t like to complain but this is unacceptable.’

L&Q told Metro in a statement that the existing door was secure but admitted the door had not been replaced or the wall repaired. 

David Lewis, Executive Director of Property Services at L&Q, said: ‘We’re very sorry Ms Cook has experienced issues with her door, and for the time it’s taken to put things right. The damage was reported in early April, and we made the entrance safe and secure as quickly as possible.

‘Unfortunately, asbestos checks were needed before the door could be fully replaced, which caused a delay 

‘The new door is due to arrive today, and we’ve asked our contractor to arrange installation with Ms Cook as soon as possible.

‘We’ve been in contact with Ms Cook today and will continue to keep her informed and offer any support she needs.’

Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.

For more stories like this, check our news page.